Justice Programs moves services in-house; committee hears testing, DOJ audit and policy changes

The Portage County Judicial General Government Committee heard that Justice Programs has moved operations in-house and resumed accepting referrals, a change the program said has increased face-to-face services and monitoring.

The presenter (Justice Programs Presenter) told the committee the program now has eight active treatment court participants, 125 people receiving day-report services, 27 pre-trial OWI participants and 28 post-sentence OWI participants. "The first week we took over, I drug and alcohol tested 7 people and 6 of the 7 tested positive for some substance," the presenter said, noting positives included alcohol, methamphetamine, cocaine and THC.

Why it matters: the shift to in-house services affects how participants are supervised and how the county documents compliance and testing. The presenter said the county has reintroduced drug and alcohol testing and is emphasizing sobriety as part of the program's requirements.

The presenter said the TAG grant was submitted and approved at the same funding level as the prior year, and that Justice Programs has used about 85%–87% of its 2025 budget allotment. On Dec. 9, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice conducted an audit and a two-hour training; the presenter said a report with recommendations is expected in six to eight weeks.

The program has implemented a new eligibility review policy and an updated participant manual, and reported renewed participation by law enforcement and the district attorney's office in memoranda of understanding (MOUs). The presenter said a judge-led committee will update other program policies and that staffing changes include a new OWI specialist starting Jan. 5 and a day-report specialist on staff.

Committee members asked about prior audit recommendations and why referrals were paused for several months; the presenter said many potential referrals were diverted to other options, including revocations to custody or alternative inpatient or residential treatment, and that referral sources (the DA's office and Department of Corrections) are now resuming referrals.

The committee did not take formal action on Justice Programs during this meeting. The presenter said the DOJ audit report and any further recommended changes to fidelity or oversight would be reported back to the committee when available.